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Honors Sophomore Synthesis Paper 2019On Synthesis… Different writers often explore the same topics in their works. This is particularly true of writers belonging to the same genre. One who has read such topically related works will not only see that the texts connect, but also that the authors have similarities and differences—some subtle, some blatant—in how they treat the topic and what insight they leave us with concerning the topic. The adept reader will recognize that by reading varying texts, she has witnessed a discussion, or even a debate, between the authors. If the reader is truly a critical thinker, she will have her own ideas and experiences that she can insert into the conversation. This is the heart of synthesis writing.PROMPTS and SOURCES:Select one of the following questions / conversations and carefully analyze the provided sources before developing your position on the topic. Students may use sources beyond those listed, though they still must use at least four of the provided sources. Students must use at least one fiction source. Conversation: HappinessTextsPrompt: To what extent should a society—which includes government, communities, and individuals—focus on attaining happiness? Analyze the conversation between at least four sources before asserting your own position in relation to the conversation. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (novel)Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (novel)Wall-E directed by Andrew Stanton (film)“Measuring happiness: Is Bhutan really the world’s happiest country?” by Emma Thomson (article)“Free to be Happy” by Jon Meacham (essay)“The Joy of Less” by Pico Iyer (essay)“Nikki-Rosa” by Nikki Giovanni (poem)“Happy Family” by Jane Shore (poem)“Utopia” by Wislawa Szymborska (poem)Conversation: RobotsTextsPrompt: Will our future be better or worse as a result of the inevitable increase in human-robot interactions? Analyze the conversation between at least four sources before asserting your own position in relation to the conversation. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (novel)Wall-E directed by Andrew Stanton (film)“Robot Dreams” by Isaac Asimov (short story)“Are Humans Necessary” by Margaret Atwood (essay)“Is It OK to Torture or Murder a Robot?” by Richard Fisher (essay)“Transhumanism” by Francis Fukuyama (essay)Excerpt from Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era by James Barrat (non-fiction)“In Defense of Killer Robots” by Rosa Brooks (article)“The Real Cyborgs” by Arthur HouseExcerpt from Better Than Human: Why Robots Will—and Must—Take Our Jobs by Kevin Kelly (non-fiction)Conversation: IntimacyTextsPrompt: Intimacy might be defined as “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate relationship with another person or group.” To what extent is true intimacy impacted by digital communication technologies? Analyze the conversation between at least four sources before asserting your own position in relation to the conversation. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyWall-E directed by Andrew Stanton“Brave New World of Digital Intimacy” by Clive Thompson (article)Excerpt from Alone Together by Sherry Turkle (book)“The Hoax of Digital Life” by Tim Egan (article)“Do You Like Me? Click Yes or No” by Jason Edward Harrington (short story)“Intimacy for the Avoidant” by David Brooks (article)“Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation” by Jean Twenge (article)“Touchscreen” by Marshall Davis Jones (poem)EXPECTATIONS: Except for the final draft, assignments should be printed and brought to class on the due date. Expect these to be collected or checked off. Teacher feedback is available after school on Thursdays. Final drafts will be scored on a rubric.SOURCE NOTES: November 20. 10 points. Use the template provided on my website. Requirements-Thorough and thoughtful completion.-Proper conventions.-Correct MLA citation10/10Completely meets requirements8.5/10Mostly meets requirements7/10Somewhat meets requirements5/10 or lowerDoes not meet requirements.Tips: -You must use at least one fiction source in your paper.-For full credit, you must correctly italicize or place quotation marks around titles. Look at the list of texts if you’re unsure which is appropriate. -Use Purdue OWL for help writing correct MLA citations. Copying and pasting from a citation generator is risky, as they often churn out inaccurate citations.-Pay close attention to italics, quotations, and punctuation in the citations!-Select meaningful quotes (and lots of them). Since you are unlikely to reread the texts, the quotes you select now have a high chance of making it into your paper.-The Inference step is the most important for each source. Really challenge yourself to grasp the nuances of the writer’s position rather than a general idea. Remember the synthesis activity—there were far more opinions in that discussion when we paid attention to details (ex: Bradbury vs. Orwell on Technology). -Wait until you have read the sources before you make up your mind about what you think. OUTLINE: November 27. 10 points. Use the template provided on my website. Minimum of four topic sentences and three quotes per TS. Requirements-Thorough and thoughtful completion.-Proper conventions and formatting-Thesis and TS make arguments. 10/10Completely meets requirements8.5/10Mostly meets requirements7/10Somewhat meets requirements5/10 or lowerDoes not meet requirements.Tips: -This is a two part thesis, which will probably be two sentences. Refer to your source notes to for both parts. -Part 1: Take your summary of the conversation, and capture the idea in a single sentence. -Part 2: Take your response to the conversation and capture it in one sentences. -Consider splitting your thesis, so that the first sentence arrives at the end of your introduction and the second part arrives as a topic sentence later in the paper (perhaps TS 4?). This is not required, but it helps structure your ideas so that your essay builds up to your point. -Use the provided Outline Template, but delete all those instructions that I typed in red. -Make sure all quoted material has quotations and in-text citations “Montag, blah blah, yelling, burning, angry, shouting, walking away” (Bradbury 67).-Note that in-text citations should include the author’s last name since we have multiple sources in this paper.-Order your paragraphs in a logical way. There should be a reason you begin with TS 1 and then follow with TS 2. -Use multiple sources within the same paragraph (sometimes). While not every paragraph will do this-Make sure you recognize multiple sides to the discussion, especially ones that you disagree with, as they are valuable to explaining your position. ROUGH DRAFT: December 4. 10 points. Requirements-3+ pages (6 points)-MLA format (2 points)-Works Cited (2 points)Tips: -Begin with your outline. Revise and rearrange arguments as necessary before writing. -Introduction: your hook is important, but so is your context. Do not try to introduce every source in the intro—that would be clunky. Instead, try to engage the reader’s thoughts and curiosities on the topic itself.-Audience: Your audience is your classmates. They have all read F451 and 1984. They need no summaries. However, do not expect your reader has read all the shorter articles, poems, and texts (they probably haven’t!). While you still don’t want to summarize, you should introduce evidence from those sources with the awareness of the context your reader will need to understand the quote. -Introduce writers and figures from your sources in a way that is appropriate to your audience. We don’t need context on who Ray Bradbury is, but your readers probably don’t know who David Brooks is. Upon introduction, mention that he writes a column for the New York Times. -Double check your MLA format in comparison to another document. I hear that Google docs often has issues with formatting, so I suggest you use Microsoft Word. Remove “after spacing” and make sure your name / page number in the upper right corner is in the same font. -Use Purdue OWL to make sure you are correctly formatting your Works Cited page. -You are not required to use all five of your sources (four is the minimum). You are not required to use three quotes per paragraph (though 3 or more is often a good idea).-Commentary: do not repeat the claim, do not wander, do not write sentences that are unrelated to the quote itself. Refer back to the quote and elaborate, explain, expand.-Transitions, transitions, transitions. I can’t emphasize this enough. You need to transition at the start of your TS’s (help the reader understand how this new idea relates to the previous one). -Your position. Reserve this part of the essay for after the analysis of the conversation (perhaps body paragraph 4 or 5?). This is a body paragraph (or more!) that should recognize your position in relation to the authors’ positions. You also should explain your position and support it with evidence—whether from a different source altogether or based upon the sources already presented.FINAL DRAFT: December 11. 100 points. 4-6 pages. Submit to before class starts. Late submissions will lose 20%. Drafts short of the page minimum will receive a prorated score. For example, a 3 page final draft will receive 3/4 of the points it would have otherwise scored.See rubric.Tips:-Don’t avoid the complexities of your topic, or position. Acknowledge and address them.-Look for opposing viewpoints.-Make sure you are accurately depicting the views of the writers / figures.-Avoid feeling the need for every paragraph to be the same length. -This is not a five paragraph essay. Responding thoughtfully tot his prompt will require at least six paragraphs.-Assume your audience is neutral or skeptical of your position.-Proofread! You can lose up to 10 points on this essay for faulty conventions, particularly errors involving sentence fluency. -Don’t lose points for MLA formatting. Just don’t.-Consider the feedback you receive. Make the choice about what to do and own it. You are the writer. -Reread your paper at least five days before it is due. -Revisit the handout on conclusions. Please don’t use “In conclusion”. -Think about concision. Are there any sentences that could be removed? Are there any places where fewer words could do the same job?Synthesis Essay RubricTOTAL SCORE: __________ / 100Ideas / Analysis______/40 ptsSupport______/40 ptsStyle ______/20 ptsExcellent A/A--Introduction captures the reader’s interest with relevant and interesting content -Understanding of the texts and the “conversation” is nuanced and insightful-Topic sentences are arguments that provide structure for in-depth analysis -Logical and analytical commentary, which extends complexity and depth of ideas -Response to texts is clear, original, and thought-provoking. -Organized to maintain focus and address complexity-The writer uses an excellent selection of specific and sometimes subtle quotes and details from the sources. -Uses a wealth of evidence to support positions-All evidence is accurate and the entire text is considered -Excellent support for response to the conversation-Works Cited page present and accurate.-The writing is concise and ideas are conveyed with exceptional clarity. -The writer seamlessly transitions between sources, ideas, and paragraphs. -Quotes are seamlessly integrated.-The writer’s voice is academic, yet it displays a personality behind the writing. -Sentences are varied in structure, and vocabulary is precise; both display sophistication and clarity. Strong B+/B/B--Introduction gets the reader’s attention with relevant content-Understanding of the texts and the “conversation” is reasonable-Topic sentences are arguments relating to thesis -Interpretive commentary, which further explores main ideas - Response to texts is clear and thoughtful- Organized to maintain focus without being formulaic-The writer uses specific and well-chosen quotes and details from the sources. -Uses a sufficient quantity of evidence, but imbalanced -All evidence is accurate and the most of the text is considered - Response to the conversation is supported by evidence-Works Cited page present and accurate.-The writing is mostly concise and ideas are conveyed with clarity. -The writer transitions well between sources, ideas, and paragraphs. -Quotes are properly set up.-The writer’s voice is academic and consistent. -Sentences are varied in structure, and vocabulary is precise; both increase readability. Adequate C+/C/C--The topic is introduced through relevant content. -The writer displays some understanding of the texts and the “conversation” -Topic sentences usually provide claims -Commentary contains opinion, and touches on ideas - Response to texts is mostly clear, but limited- Organization attempts to remain focused; formulaic-The writer uses quotes and details from the sources, but some are more effective than others. -Uses some evidence, but could use more in places-All evidence is accurate but parts of the text ignored-Support for response is hit and miss-Works Cited page present, but flawed.-The writing is fairly clear, with occasional wordiness. -The writer uses basic transitions between ideas and paragraphs. -Quote set-up is sometimes clear, sometimes choppy.-The writer’s voice is usually academic, but monotone with some lapses in tense. -Sentences show some variation, and vocabulary is usually precise. Needs Developing D+/D-The introduction is dull, cliché, and / or not clearly related to the topic. -The writer’s understanding of the text is somewhat flawed. -Topic sentences do not provide clear arguments -Commentary repeats ideas, but does not develop further - Response to texts lacks clarity and/or not carefully thought out - Organization detracts from reader’s interest or comprehension-The writer uses unconvincing or irrelevant quotes and broad details from sources. -Uses minimal amounts of evidence-Some inaccuracies and oversights impact writer’s authority-Minimal support for response to conversation-Incomplete Works Cited page.-The writing is unclear and awkward at times. -Transitions between ideas and paragraphs are choppy or formulaic. -Quote set-up is choppy. -The writer’s voice is too informal. -Sentence structure and vocabulary are simplistic. Significant Lapses F-The introduction does not effectively set up the main ideas because it is missing, unclear, and/or irrelevant. -Frequent misunderstandings of the text. -Topic sentences present no argument.-Commentary missing: the writer does not develop ideas throughout the essay, and instead summarizes the text. - Response to texts missing-Disorganized-The writer uses quotes and details from the sources that do not support the argument. -The writer uses few to no pieces of evidence. -Glaring inaccuracies and oversights discredit the writer’s ideas-No support for response to conversation-Missing Works Cited page.-The writing is awkward, disorganized, and unclear. -Transitions between ideas, quotes, and paragraphs are frequently choppy or missing. -The writer’s voice is inappropriate for the purpose. -Sentence fluency and vocabulary are problematic. Conventions-0 to -1Lapses in grammar, spelling, capitalization, formatting, or punctuation are minimal.-2 to -3Occasional lapses are minor distractions to the reader-4 to -6Regular lapses distract the reader. Some mistakes in spelling, capitalization, and/or sentence fluency.-7 to -10Major lapses frequently distract the readerFrequent mistakes in spelling, capitalization, and/or sentence fluency. ................
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